6.“I have
a story that will make you believe in God.” Author’s Note p. x

This
is spoken by Francis Adirubasamy to the author. At first the reader may think
the story is about believing in a religion but it is not. It is not about holding
on to the particulars, but about having faith in something beyond what is seen.
At the end of the book the reader may choose to believe or not.

2.“If we citizens do not support our artists, then we sacrifice our imagination
on the altar of crude reality and we end up believing in nothing and having worthless
dreams.” Author’s Note p. xii

The author is thanking the Canada Council
for the Arts for their support, but he is also encouraging the promotion of the
better story.

3.“But religion is more than rite and ritual.
There is what the rite and ritual stand for.” p. 48

Pi is describing
the sights, sounds, and smells of Hinduism. He goes on to explain the fundamentals
of that religion. He sees the world from a Hindu perspective, but cautions against
fundamentalism. This points out again that it is not about the particulars of
the religion, but about faith.

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4.“Tree took account of road, which was aware of air, which was mindful
of sea, which shared things with sun. Every element lived in harmonious relation
with its neighbour, and all was kith and kin.” p. 62

Pi is returning
home from a visit with Mr. Kumar, the Sufi. He has a feeling that the connectedness
of all things has been revealed to him by God.

5.“I felt like
a small circle coinciding with the center of a larger one.” p. 62

This is another part of Pi’s revelation. He has a sense of peace, unity, and harmony
resulting from his ability to weave three religions and science into his personal
belief system. The circle simile is appropriate for someone named Pi.

6.“The presence of God is the finest of rewards.” p. 63

Pi is pleased with the spirituality he has achieved. He has just described two
instances where he felt that God had come close to him. With three religions he
can strive for three times the presence.

7. “Jesus, Mary, Muhammad
and Vishnu, how good to see you Richard Parker!” p. 97

Pi is shipwrecked
and sees Richard Parker swimming toward him. There is ironic humor in his multi-religious
exclamation (one of many). Also, not yet knowing who Richard Parker is, the reader
is led to believe momentarily that someone else has survived the wreck.

Pi makes a very specific, quantitative list that
goes on for two pages. The last entries on the list are both humorous and philosophical.
Pi has God with him, even alone in the middle of the ocean.

9.
“Only fear can defeat life.”p. 161

Pi is explaining the dangers
of fear, but at the same time seems to be talking himself out of being afraid.
Fear can cause the loss of belief and the loss of reason. The “light of words”
defeats fear by not allowing your mind to wallow in it.

10. “It
came as an unmistakable indication to me of how low I had sunk the day I noticed,
with a pinching of the heart, that I ate like an animal, that this noisy, frantic,
unchewing wolfing-down of mine was exactly the way Richard Parker ate.” p.
225

Pi kills and eats quickly so he can get his share before having to
give it up to Richard Parker. He has become like an animal. Animals are not accountable
to God for their actions. This scene comes at a time when Pi’s faith has waned.

11.“I know what you want. You want a story that won’t surprise
you. That will confirm what you already know. That won’t make you see higher or
further or differently.”

Pi is angry that the Japanese men do not
believe his story. The have told him they want to know what really happened. This
quote brings the climax of the story. Pi will tell a second story, without animals,
about his survival. He will then press the men into confessing which they thought
was the better story.